Cambodian PM accuses Laos of border violation, mobilizing troops

Army vehicles are seen along a street in Phnom Penh

Army vehicles are seen along a street in Phnom Penh, Cambodia August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer NO SALES NO ARCHIVES

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen accused neighboring Laos on Friday of sending troops into Cambodian land in April and said they must leave by an Aug. 17 deadline and that he was mobilizing soldiers to the border area.

Hun Sen said at a ceremony in Phnom Penh about 30 soldiers from Laos had crossed into the area and that some of them remained there during daytime. He said he had been in touch with the government in Laos.

"I can no longer keep patience," Hun Sen said. "It's not right that we fight each other but if they don't withdraw, we must do it ... We don't declare war, we just ask to get our own land back."